NinjaCry
by Singing A Grey Lie
Summary: Ties in with "Instigation of Hate." Leri Seijitsu lives in The Village Hidden In The Grass, and when he makes friends with a lonely girl with a demon sealed inside her, what trouble might he get himself into?
1. NinjaCry 1

"Orochimaru," the young woman whispered as she cradled the newborn, "He will take my name, right?"

Orochimaru, then only thirty-eight years of age, smiled. "Yes. Leri Seijitsu. A beautiful name for a beautiful baby boy."

The appearances of the two parents were almost completely contrast of one another. Kyoofu Seijitsu had golden blonde hair and blue eyes. Her skin was slightly tanned by the sun, as little as the tall grasses of Kusagakure let through. She was a slightly paranoid woman, but kind nonetheless. Leri was her first and only child, although she and Orochimaru were not married.

Orochimaru, however, was a character all his own. He had dark purple-black hair and a pale white complexion. Prior to this, Orochimaru had had several other children, but none with Kyoofu. Orochimaru was originally a Sanin from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, but he had left after he was denied title of Hokage. He was currently a member of the Akatsuki, a group that sought to collect all the Jinchuuriki.

--

"Why must you leave?" Kyoofu asked silently. The newborn cried loudly in her arms as the wind blew her long hair and the dark green cloak wildly about her.

Orochimaru smiled sullenly. "I must leave because of Akatsuki needs. I promise I will return once I am leader of the Akatsuki. You will wait for me, won't you?"

"I will wait for you, no matter how long it must be..." Her voice was almost as silent as her lover's, both barely audible above the infant's cries and screams. They said their final goodbyes, and Kyoofu watched until she could no longer see Orochimaru's Akatsuki cloak whipping behind him in the wind. She looked down at her child then and ran her thumb lightly over his pale skin. It was the same tone as Orochimaru's, but her blue eyes were reflected in the infant's own ice-blue eyes. "Leri...oh, how great a Ninja you will be. You will do great things for this village, I just know it."

Kyoofu's mother, Kochikochi, asked no questions when the infant was brought to her home. Kochikochi helped her daughter, then ten years younger than Orochimaru, to raise the child.

--

A year later, Leri was learning to walk. He could say very little, except 'mommy.'

Everyone in Kusagakure, the Village Hidden In The Grass, had heard of, if not participated in, the sealing of the Nine-Tailed Fox in Konoha. Several Ninja transferred from Konohagakure to Kusagakure. Many died. Kyoofu heard nothing of her beloved, not a word, but she did not fear, for she had faith in him.

There was one family, one single family, in Kusagakure that everyone despised. It was a man and a woman, with seven children: three boys, three girls, and one child on the way. The odd part about this family was that they had strange deformations that took the shape of plants. They also had skin discolorations. Their skin was either colored the dark of the blackest night or the pale of the whitest snow. Only their eldest male child had escaped both of these genetics, and the middle male child was the only one so far to acquire both in the most visible way. These people were called "The People of The Earth" or the "Odd Ones" and they were feared. All of their children except the eldest female and the youngest male were in the Ninja Academy of Kusa.

Little did _anyone _know that these two things were about to collide...

Kyoofu heard loud crashing noises outside. The taller grasses made similar noises when they fell, but never quite this loud. She peered out her front door, into the cold, dark night. She heard human screams and the light of fire made the grasses glow a scarlet shade, that of a fever. This was the night that the woman from The People of The Earth would be giving birth to her seventh child. This was also a night of pure terror.

In fear, Kyoofu rushed to her child's bedroom and scooped up the screaming infant. She cradled young Leri, hushed him and cooed to him as she was herded out of her own home. A large man wearing the outfit and mask of an ANBU silently hurried her, and several other crying women, out of their homes and into safety. Their safety refuge was at one end of the village, far above the grasses that towered over the tallest building. As she was hurried along, the noises began to grow louder. It was a symphony of horror: human screams of agony, loud and frightening growls and roars, and the crackling of fire. Kyoofu saw only women and children with her when they reached the safe place. Children young enough to speak were screaming for their fathers. And one woman that Kyoofu saw, that one woman whom everyone despised, was off in a separate corner, a blanket wrapped over her legs, and she was undergoing labor. The woman from The People of The Earth. Her other children were in a different, but still secluded, part of the room.

Everyone was screaming, demanding to know what was going on and why all the able-bodied men were gone. Finally, the First Rameikage, the village's unofficial leader of peace, stepped in front of the crowd and spoke calmly to them all. This is what he said:

"My wonderful citizens, our glorious Daimyo has _**not**_, as some of you have suggested, started another war. We all know of the attack on Konohagakure last year. Some of us do not know it better than young mister Kei Uchiha, but nonetheless, this is our own horror to worry about. This, my friends, this...is the Nine-Tailed Tiger." His voice was low and melancholy, despite the fact he was trying to stay as calm as he could.

One woman asked, "What are we going to do?" And the rest of the women rallied in.

The First Raimeikage attempted to shout over the crying women. "Our only choice is to do what the Shinobi in Konoha did! We must seal the demon inside a newborn child, and that child must be contained for the rest of his or her life." When this was said, all the women, except the one in labor (to whom Kyoofu couldn't help but look as she had never seen any People of The Earth), held their children close. The odd family held close together, looking like a frightened pack of mice. The First Raimeikage attempted a smile and failed. "Please, ladies, please, do not worry! As she is the only one giving birth tonight, this good-lady here has agreed to allow us to seal the demon in her child. We need only hope that the child waits until the demon is contained." All eyes in the room shifted to the Odd Woman in labor. Pity, hate, and relief swelled in the room.

Hours later, at an almost miracle, the child was born at the right moment. It was a baby girl, with snow-white skin. The demon's spirit was sealed into the infant's body, leaving a black seal on her stomach. She cried louder than any baby Kyoofu had ever heard. When the seal was finished, the brave Shinobi who sealed it then dropped to the ground, dead. He was given a funeral worthy of the greatest Daimyo, one fit for a king.

Kusagakure never forgot about the girl, whose name was never announced publicly. She was hated, yet sympathized for. Kyoofu didn't like her, sure as daylight. Her eyes were blue, her hair was ebony, and her skin was whiter than snow. She looked innocent enough, but Kyoofu knew what was inside her and what she could do. She would never intend to allow Leri to be around that girl.

No, not _intended._


	2. NinjaCry 2

The girl grew older, and Kyoofu knew she had to keep Leri away from her at all costs. Her son was growing, also. He had the same, pale blonde hair as her and icy blue eyes. His skin was as pale as Orochimaru's, and he never wailed as loudly as the other infants.

Then came another issue with the People of The Earth.

'Twas a quiet night, and Kyoofu couldn't help but think back two years ago, to the horrifying attack on Kusagakure no Sato. She sat alone in her living room, staring into the dying embers of a long-cold fire. Something was amiss tonight, and Kyoofu knew it. But what it was, she couldn't quite specifiy.

She heard a quick rapping at the door, something used only by ANBU in urgencies. Kyoofu opened the door as quickly as she could. Indeed, an ANBU female stood there, a dog-mask covered her face. "Ma'am, are you the only one who lives here?"

"Uh, no...My child is in his room." She said quietly

"Please retrieve him." Kyoofu nodded, leaving the ANBU standing in the open door. She returned with her sleeping, three-year old son cradled in her arms. Once more, Kyoofu was rushed from her home and into a different part of Kusagakure.

"Miss," Kyoofu began, trying her best to keep up with the ANBU, "What, pray tell, is the problem tonight?"

"There's been a homicide." Kyoofu took in a sharp breath. "Seven people were murdered. Odd enough...they were the Five Children and the Man and Woman of the Earth. The only two remaining, as we know, are two of the children."

"Are they safe?"

"Only one has been recovered. The other has presumably ran away. We can't get much information out of the girl, as it is the one with the Nine-Tailed Tiger. She remembers nothing, not even her own name. We have presumed that the one who ran, male, was the one who killed the family. Not to scare you, ma'am, but we have only found parts of the bodies. They seem to have been simply..." She cringed behind her mask, "Eaten."

Kyoofu felt sick to her stomach. They were once more escorted into the safe shelter of Kusagakure. It was more crowded now, as there were men in the room. Yet it seemed increasingly empty, as none of the People of The Earth were there.

"Mommy," came Leri's frail voice, "I wanna go home, pwease." His grammar and pronunciation were ever-so horrible, but Kyoofu understood him.

"Shh, shh, it's OK, baby. Mommy'll take us home in a moment. Just relax, go back to sleep." Leri moaned but cradled against his mother.

--

"What did they do with the girl?" Kyoofu asked a neighbor. The smell of fresh tea filled the warm house. Kyoofu had already burnt her tongue once, attempting to drink the hot tea.

Leri sat alone in a corner, while the other children played. Kyoofu's neighbors all sipped on their tea. "Why do you care? We're still safe. That child's a monster." One said.

"She needs to die and save us all a hassle," spat another.

"The demon she has is immeasurable. My father died fighting it. I want revenge on her..." hissed another viciously.

"But...what did they do with her?" Kyoofu repeated.

The first woman sighed. "I hear that they gave her to that Uchiha fellow. What was his name? Kei! Yes, they gave her to Kei."

"They thought that Kei could control her best because he fought in the battle with the Nine-Tailed Fox of Konohagakure." A quieter woman said, swishing the remnants of her tea in the bottom of the cup. Kyoofu sighed and watched her son.

Leri was lonely, sitting by himself. He was trying to build something with blocks, but the other children kept throwing things to knock it down. He looked on the verge of tears. Kyoofu excused herself and left with her son.

--

When I was five, I got to go to Preschool of some sort. I'd spent about a week there. My mom told me that if I saw a girl with black hair and pure white skin, I had to stay away from her. I never did understand what was wrong with my mom. She acted sort of paranoid. She was nice, I guess, but protective.

It was my second week in Preschool. I was sititng at a table of some other boys. They didn't like me and I didn't like them, but I didn't want to sit alone. I didn't say a word as I doodled on a piece of paper, practicing my numbers. _Ichi, ni, san..._I heard the door opening.

Looking up, I saw two figures. There was a tall, thin man. He had blue-ish black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a Chunin jacket. Behind him was a girl about my age. She had black hair and really pale skin, as pale as mine. Her dull blue eyes showed fear in them. She was clutching the leg of the man's pants shyly. Her brown dress came down to just above her ankles. She wore white socks and black shoes. A cream-colored bow was tied around her waist. She was holding a black and white panda doll in one hand.

I watched as the man tried to get her to come out from behind him. The teacher was talking to them. Then, the man left. The girl was left standing alone in the middle of all the talking and loud kids. She sulked quietly over to a green table by herself in the far corner of the room. I couldn't see to take my eyes off of her. She looked so strange. She had a certain aura about her. It brought to mind flowers and spring, but also darkness and fear. Her eyes didn't lose the glimmer of fear. She drew on a piece of paper by herself.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I picked up my pencil and paper and walked over to her. She didn't turn around when I walked up to her. "Hey, can I sit here?" I asked.

She turned slightly, her dull blue eyes analyzing me carefully. She looked me up and down, as if calculating my worth. Finally, after moments of awkwardness, she turned back to her paper. A quiet "Sure." was all I got. I sat down beside her.

"So what's your name?" I said, still curious about her.

She looked up, like she couldn't remember. "Sen. You?" Her voice was as quiet as mine: a low whisper.

"My name's Leri Seijitsu! One of these days, I'm going to be a great Shinobi like my dad and I'm gonna be the Raimeikage!" I grinned, pointing to myself proudly.

"You have your goals pretty set, don't you?" Sen half-smiled. "What's a Shinobi?" My mouth fell open at her question. How could she not know what a Shinobi was?!

"A Shinobi's a Ninja. You know, like...the Raimeikage and stuff?"

"Sounds dangerous..." was all she had to offer.

"It is!" I said. I told her about the dangerous Shinobi lifestyle. She seemed half-intrigued, half-confused. Eventually, she smiled. I felt half-confused, too.

"How do you know so much?" She asked me.

"My daddy is a great Shinobi from the Village Hidden In The Leaves!" I declared, although I had never met my father. I had only heard that from my mother, and who knows whether or not she was lying.

"Sounds interesting. So you're going to be a Shinobi like your dad...?"

I nodded, grinning. "What about you? What are your mom and dad?"

She stopped drawing for a second, and I realized I shouldn't have asked her that question. "My mother is...no longer here. I don't really have a father, but...I love Kei, and he's my foster father. He's a Ninja, too. He's from the Village Hidden In The Leaves. An Uchiha, one of the elite. He came here after the attack."

I pursed my lips. "My mom says that there was an attack here, just like there was in Konohagakure." Something in the back of my head screamed to walk away, to leave her alone, and said never to mention that to her. But I couldn't just leave her where she was. Alone.

She looked up, her eyes closed, but she was smiling. "Really? I haven't heard that before. I wonder if they defeated the demon or not. Kei says that the demon in Konoha was sealed in the body of a little boy. He knows his name, too. I think it was Naruto or something like that." She giggled. She returned to her drawing, and I sat staring at her. She was moving her feet back and forth under the table quickly and biting her lip. Sen looked up at me, frowning. "Staring isn't nice, you know."

I looked away. "I wasn't staring."

She giggled again. "Sure you weren't." And she grabbed another piece of paper. She began to doodle faster, sketching something. She blocked the image with her arm, so I couldn't see what it was. I didn't want her to think I was staring again, so I started talking with her again and drew something myself.

We talked randomly, until the other kids started to thin out. There were only five of us left. The man she had been with earlier came in and called her name. She looked from him to me. Holding her toy panda and the paper that she had been working so diligently on -- and not letting me see -- she slid out of her chair.

"C'mon, Leri," it sounded odd when she said my name, "I want you to meet Kei." I slid out of my chair, too, and she grabbed my hand, smiling. I blushed and let her lead me to the tall man.

Kei smiled at her. "Hello, Sen. Did you make any new friends?" She nodded.

"Kei, this is Leri. His daddy's a Shinobi from the Leaf Village like you." She was smiling, and hadn't let go of my hand.

"Like me, huh?" He laughed. "Hello, Leri, it's very nice to meet you."

"Hi," I said quietly.

He smiled. "Well, Sen, you can see Leri tomorrow. Are you ready to go?"

"Umm...one last thing, OK?" Finally, she let go of my hand. Turning to me, she handed me the paper. "This is for you. Thanks for talking to me today." I looked at the paper and my eyes grew wide.

She had drawn a portrait of me as I was sitting beside her, working on my own picture. It was incredibly drawn, and it felt like I was looking into a mirror of the past. "Thank you," I said quietly, stunned. She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Leri. 'Bye." She waved as she and Kei left the room. I stood there, staring at the closed door, not blinking. Sen was, indeed, _the _strangest person I'd met, but she was nice, and that's all that mattered. I smiled.

I'd made a friend.


	3. NinjaCry 3

Sen and I were forever inseperable. Her foster father, Kei, let her enter the Ninja Academy with me the next year. She was an incredible student, so good that the all of the Sensei's let her ahead of the rest of the class. Kei was proud, and so was I, but I was lonely without her. But everyone stayed away from her. She had been forced to leave Kei, and live with an old woman named Siya. She didn't want anyone else to know, but she told me that she accidentally killed someone who had tried to break into her bedroom.

I watched silently as she swung back and forth on the swings, her favorite panda toy -- Pukai -- sitting on her lap. She almost blended into the green grasses behind her, because of her brown shorts and dark green shirt. It was darker than my shirt, but it was still green. Her blue eyes seemed glossed over as she started blankly at the ground. She seemed upset. I wanted to go and talk to her, but something made me not want to. She wouldn't notice, would she, if I didn't go over? She certainly didn't see me looking at her now.

__

No, Leri,

I told myself, _she _needs _you. Go and talk to her. _I stood up from my place on the bench and walked quietly to her. Then something happened.

"Hey, freak!" One boy yelled at her. Gaping, Sen looked up at him, only to receive a heavy pelting of pebbles and dirt. One girl threw a couple of Ninja Tools at her.

Shocked by the onslaught, Sen fell off her swing and into the dirt. I watched as she pressed her hands against the dirt, calling forth green vines. A woosh of air blew past me as a vine drove right beside my face, hurtling towards an unfortunate boy who had rallied in. Blood painted the air a crimson red. The other kids screamed and ran. But I stood still. I didn't know if, in her blind irate, she wouldn't see it was me and work her bloody way around me. And I didn't care. I had never seen her do this before.

But I knew I had to stop her. I ran to her side, saying her name. I could see tears in her eyes. "Sen," I said, kneeling beside her, one hand on her shoulder, "Sen, it's me. C-calm down. E-everything's alright..."

She froze and looked at me. "L-Leri?" Tears began to pour out. "Wh-what happened? What did I...what just happened?"

"It's OK, Sen," I told her with a smile.

"They're dead!" The other kids shouted. "She killed them!" Three lifeless bodies lay in mutilated positions. I didn't want Sen to know that she had done this.

"You'll pay for this!" Said the boy that acted as leader for the large clique. "_I've _got your doll!" He held up Pukai by its stuffed feet.

Sen's eyes grew wide. "Pukai!" She screeched, reaching her arms out. The boy started laughing.

Angry, I stood up. "Give it back, Naosu," I addressed him. "That's not yours to take. Give it back to her."

"So?! She didn't have the right to kill those three!" Naosu replied hotly.

"She had _every _right," I said in a low tone. "_You all _have no right to be so cruel to her. She did _nothing _to you!"

Naosu, Pukai in one hand and a kunai in the other, walked up to me. He held the kunai to my throat. "She's a monster," he said quietly. Then, turning to the others, he raised his voice. "In fact, I think you _all _should know this! My dad told me that this girl--" he pointed to Sen "--holds the famed Nine-Tailed Tiger inside of her!" Gasps and screams arose from the crowd of children. I could see the fear and disbelief in Sen's eyes, and I hated Naosu at that moment for what he'd done. "The Nine-Tailed Tiger destroyed our Village! And she is the Nine-Tailed Tiger! I want revenge on her for destroying our homes! Who's with me?!" He shouted, while digging out one of the eyes on Sen's beloved panda toy. Seeing Sen that devastated and upset for the fear of losing her favorite doll and learning that she was the vessel to an immensely hated power -- to me -- was enough to cross the line.

Shouts of excitement came from within the mob of children, rallying in with their leader. Naosu laughed again.

"Naosu, stop it!" I shouted.

"Who's gonna stop me?!" He shouted back, laughing. "Certainly, it's not gonna be you, girly-boy! What're you gonna do? Tell Sensei on me?" He sneered, pointing to the three sensei's who were standing around lazily, watching the fight with dull curiosity. None of them had any intention on intervening. "Or you do plan to fight me?"

"What if I do fight you?"

Naosu laughed. "I'd like to see you try!"

I frowned and looked toward Sen. She was still sitting on the ground, staring in devastation at Naosu and I. "Leri, please don't!" She shouted at me. She knew that Naosu was a strong fighter, because she was the same Shinobi ranking as he was, even though he was nine years old.

I turned to her with a smile, and no words. Turning back to Naosu and the crowd of blood-stained children, I heard a whoosh of surprised 'ooooh's.

"Ha ha! Look at that everyone! The girly-boy Academy Student wants to fight _me!" _Everyone started laughing. I clenched my fists. Someone shouted for us to begin fighting. Naosu threw Pukai into the crowd of children, where a bunch of girls caught it. I was able to dodge most of Naosu's hits, but a few of them hit their mark. I knew I had no chance of hitting him, so I let him wear himself out. Just as I was about to throw my first hit at him, I felt someone's hands on my shoulders and arms.

"Alright, kid, we've got this," came a thirteen-year-old's voice. I knew it well enough. It was Sen's Genin teammate, Tsuba. Midori stood behind me, too.

"We'll handle this little brat. You get the bear." I nodded and rushed past Naosu. I heard the sound of punches landing and gasps from Naosu and others as Tsuba and Midori made sure that they knew not to make fun of Sen again.

"Hey!" Screeched one girl as I yanked the black-and-white bear from her arms. She went to hit me, but I started running and Midori hit her in the head. I searched frantically for the eye the Pukai had lost due to Naosu digging it out of his face, but I couldn't find the shiny brown plastic anywhere. Finally, I gave up and went to Sen. She stared up at me with large, shocked eyes.

"I got him back for you," I said with a smile, holding out Pukai toward her.

She pulled herself up from the ground. Reaching out her arms, I thought she was going to take Pukai, but, instead, she wrapped her arms around my neck. "Thank you, Leri," she said quietly. "You didn't have to do that. You're brave. You'll make a good Ninja one day, I just know it."

Sen pulled away, taking her bear. I blushed. "Well...um...I didn't want them making fun of you...And...Pukai didn't deserve that kind of treatment!" She laughed. "I'm sorry he lost an eye..."

"It's OK," she said, seemingly intrigued as she looked down at the puff of stuffing coming out of the hole in its face. Holding Pukai out at full arm's length, she moved him back and forth, like he was dancing. "See? Pukai says thank you!" Changing her voice slightly and disguising the fact that she was talking, she said, "Thank you very much for saving me, Leri Seijitsu!" I laughed and she joined in.


	4. NinjaCry 4

"Come on, Sen!" I called. "Let's see if the birds will let us fly with them today!" I ran up the hill quickly.

I heard her voice, uncertain, behind me. It sounded like she had stopped. "Leri," she said, and I turned, still smiling at her. I adjusted the hat on my head to block out the sunlight thaat streamed into my eyes. Her hair looked a dark blue in the sunlight. The rays of sunlight bounced off her skin and she seemed to glow, and her eyes radiated a cool, almost ethereal chill into the warm afternoon air. She looked scared, uncertain. Behind us lay a woods, in front of us was the hill. From over the hill, we could see our entire village, the grasses swaying gently in the breeze. I laughed and moved my hat again. "We can't fly. We're only human beings," she said simply, a sympathetic smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

I grinned, putting my hands on my hips defiantly. "Of course we can!" She gasped slightly, shocked by my words. "We can do anything we want! This is _our _village now, Sen!" I turned around to look over the hill, the rush of excitement of even _remembering _being so much taller than my grass prison bursted through my veins. I put my arms in the air, declaring victory over everything. "This is _our _world! We can do with it what we want! We can burn the bridges! We can taste the clouds and paint the wind! As long as you're ready," I turned back to her. Her eyes were wide with shock, her mouth parted slightly. I don't care what her reaction was: she'd understand eventually. "Let's go! I bet we can fly today!" I ran up the hill as fast as I could. Nothing but the wind and the rising sounds of birds calling accompanied me.

Then, in an instant, Sen was running beside me up the hill, a smile on her face. I said nothing, just grinned at her, as we ran. I could hear her sweet laughter as we ran, and I laughed, too. I loved her laughed. It was so pleasant. Everything else about her, the tone in her voice, the way she moved, the glow in her eyes, they all seemed drab and dreary and sad. Except her laugh. It sounded like she was happy. And I loved it when she was happy.

We reached the top of the hill, the sky glittering with sparkles of the sun. Kusagakure was far below us. Our worries were long gone. The grasses were the only thing that told us we still had homes to return to after the sun started to set. But that didn't matter. "Clap, Sen," I said to her. Her smile disappeared and she gave me a questioning look. "If you clap loud enough," I explained, "it'll wake the birds up. We can't fly unless the birds let us." Suddenly, her smile returned and she brought her hands as quickly and as loudly as she could, and I did, too. Suddenly, a great din arose around us. I couldn't hear my own thoughts. A cloud descended on us. Actually, it rose _to_ us. White birds engulfed us. They flapped their wings against our skin, landed on our shoulders.

I couldn't hear anything from Sen. She was absolutely captivated. Birds tugged and pulled at her hair, swooping down and landing on her head, sitting down like it was a nest. They flitted against her skin, landed on her fingers. A smile tugged at her mouth until she was grinning. Her eyes were wide as she turned to me. She spoke, but I could only see her mouth forming the words, "Leri, this is amazing." I grinned at her again and laughed. She burst into laughter, too. The birds began to thin, until only a small fledgling bird was left, tugging at Sen's hair. My jaws were sore from laughing and smiling so much. With an exhausted sigh, Sen let herself fall to the ground. She leaned back in the short grasses and smield up at me. I froze for a moment, lost in the joyous smile in her eyes that matched the one on her lips. Then I, too, smiled and sat down. Suddenly, I felt her arms around my shoulders and her head resting on my arm.

"Thank you," her voice came quietly, "you're a great person, Leri. Do you realize that? You're gonna do great things for this village one day, this village and beyond."

"So will you, Sen," I said as she pulled off and looked at me, her arms wrapped around the tops of her own knees. "You're gonna go places."

"With you," She said, and I gave her a strange look, confused by what she said. "If I'm gonna go places, I'm going there with you. I wouldn't dare you leave you behind, unless it absolutely called for it. Unless I absolutely thought that your helath was at risk."

"But...still," I persisted, "you really are gonna go places in life...You're nice than people want to think. It's _that _thing," I said, poking her stomach, causing her to recoil instantly, "that causes you so many problems."

But she started laughing. "Who knows," she struggled to words in between her laughs, "I might even meet that Naruto boy that got sealed with a demon, too! We can talk demonic politics!" She waved her fingers in the air and moaned like a ghost, then burst out in laughter again. I laughed with her. But I was uneasy inside. Although she meant it as only a joke, I didn't think it was so funny. In fact, I found it kind of true. And I got the feeling she may very well meet him. I could only image what Sen look like, how glorious she would look, standing beside Naruto, the boy that was her hero. He was like her so much: he had a demon inside him. And she wanted to meet him so much. And I only wanted her dreams to come true. Sen and Naruto, I could only imagine it. Rumors went about the Academy that he had blonde hair and blue eyes, but they were only rumors and couldn't be trusted. As I listened to my best friend laughing, I thought how it would be for her one day, when it was Naruto, whom she wanted so badly to meet, making her laugh, not me. Would she forget me? Would she even leave me? Would she give up her dreams to stay with me? I'd love the gesture, but I couldn't live with myself knowing that she had given up _anything _for me. I wanted her to be the best she could, to prove the world wrong that she wasn't the monster everyone thought she was. I'd help her. I'd run away with her if it came to it.

"You never know," I replied, "you might just meet him. And when you do, get me an autograph." Sen's face exploded with sweet laughter again. I smiled, just watching her laugh. I couldn't wait to see how much she laughed and smiled when she met Naruto.


End file.
